


fallout of hope

by lemonave



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, The Tyrant's Trilogy
Genre: Inspired by Fallout, Killing, Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Nuclear Apocalypse, OCs in a Killing Game, Post-Apocalypse, Roleplay to Novel, inspired by Danganronpa, killing game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28498821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonave/pseuds/lemonave
Summary: “War. War never changes.”“At least that’s what my dad told me before nukes were launched all over the world. The President said that it was North Korea’s fault but in the end, it didn’t really matter.”“And so that’s how I ended up in Vault 147. I managed to find this cassette recorder in one of the closets so, I guess I can use this. Do some of that journaling I always wanted to do. I got all the time in the world now.”“My name is Clover Cassidy, and I survived the end of the world.”First created as a Danganronpa and Fallout Inspired Roleplay on Discord, Fallout of Hope is the first in a trilogy of killing game stories that follow students Hope’s Peak Academy who have survived the End of the World by managing to get to a vault underneath the school. Whether they were selected, fought their way in, or just happened to be there at the right time, they have arrived and are there to stay and survive until the nuclear radiation overhead has dissipated enough for them to go out and rebuild the surrounding area as the only likely Ultimates who survived.Until it all goes wrong...
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue

RECORD  
→ PLAY  
REWIND  
STOP/EJECT  
PAUSE

_There’s a damaged tape found. It begins to play..._

_“Hi. I hope someone’s listening. Well, if I live through this I hope someone finds this. It’s Clover Cassidy again. Here in Vault 147.”_

_There’s a few small clicks and clatters of what sounds like glass._

_“It’s been a long time since HEH DDECCCEASE ravaged almost everyone in these vaults. It got so quiet after that. SSSSSOOO QUIEEETETE Q. You can hear a pin drop. If there was anyone left to drop one.”_

_“I don’t know IIIIF TTHHHHEHEHE DDEADEADE HE HE has made it past the doors. If there's anyone outside --”_

_There’s few beeps that signal this part is too damaged to be heard._

_“But I haven’t stopped working --”_

_More beeps ensue._

_“I feel closer than I have in almost a year.”_

_“It’s lonely here. I mean, I’ve got the others that survived but they just don’t understand what I understand. They can’t see what I see.”_

_There’s a minute of silence before a long sigh came from her. The exhaustion is dripping from her voice._

_“If the others knew what I was doing, I don’t even know what they would say. Would they kill me? Support me? I don’t even know them anymore.”_

_There’s another minute of silence before a sob breaks through her chest and into the device. It’s a few minutes of sobbing before the thing is cut off entirely._

FALLOUT OF HOPE. Loading…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello all! welcome to the beginning of fallout of hope!
> 
> this is the first in a trilogy (fallout of hope, shadow of despiar, and rise of tyranny) the last of which is just now beginning to be roleplayed and is now being adapted to novel format by me -- and hopefully the help of my friends when it gets to be too much lol.
> 
> we just felt like the stories we had created within the cracks of our busy schedules as internet friends from all over the world deserved to be shared, and now bring you the first of three novels here! it will be updated as i complete transcribing from the discord server, so for a while there might not be a set schedule of updates.
> 
> we hope you enjoy our hard work and complicated characters as much as we do! thank u sm for reading 
> 
> xoxo aves


	2. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cast of Fallout of Hope (Discord listed if no AO3 Account)
> 
> Epona Deacon, Elle and Raphael Winter: @lemonave  
> Nicodemus Valentine, Bruno, and Tezealeshan the Third: @phantom_chain  
> Artemis and Joseph "Joey" Williamson: @MsSpaceAce  
> Isabelle "Bella" Mason, Star Hartt, and Diamond Miller: @stardazed_daydreams  
> Derek Park, Akiko Kurosagi, and Doctor: James#2288  
> Lynwood Belmont, Shinobu Akiyama, and Suzune Hosokawa: Dinglebat Try#5065  
> Gumiaessojil "Gumi" Ensnomi and Clarence Hopps: Sori for party rocking#3793  
> Anda Serizawa and Miliko "Milk" Toyotomi: UntitledSunny#0357  
> Clover Floros, Eilert Losnedahl, and Ursula Vargas: Tobo#0161  
> Tsutsumi and Saki F. Mori: stephen 💕#9508

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hi! welcome to the first chapter of fallout of hope! 
> 
> thank you so much to my lovely beta readers @glitterprince and a special thank you to @phantom_chain who not only beta'd but is the original creator of this universe and ran the three separate roleplay. we owe it all to him so give him all the love and kudos on his account :)
> 
> please make sure to look in the chapter summaries for the authors of all the individual characters, as this story began as a discord roleplay, and be sure to give those with ao3 accounts a visit!
> 
> enjoy the update!  
> xoxo aves

**PART ONE: THE SPARK THAT ELECTROCUTED HUMANITY**

Twenty four bodies sit at office chairs, all asleep at their respective places at the large table they lay upon. The room around them is dimly lit, fluorescent bulbs twinkling as the smell of grime and dankness encircles them.

Everyone has their phone and nothing else besides their clothes.

If they did not have a phone before, they do now.

Any doors leading out of the room are sealed…

For now.

~

There is a moment. And then, she’s awake. Anda slowly sits up, though a little too quick for her tastes as the room begins to spin around her. She’s dizzy for a moment, fighting back unconsciousness before composing herself and opening her eyes again. Now that she isn't in danger of passing back out, she can acknowledge what’s going on around her. She’s not in her bed, or in any bed at all for that matter, and she has no idea what this room is. That’s different. She clears her throat, trying to remember what she was doing up to this moment. Maybe she dozed off. Yeah. That would make sense.

Miliko, the girl beside her, is completely out for the count. It doesn’t look like she’s going to be up anytime soon.

When Akiko wakes up, she immediately straightens her back and sits at attention. She doesn't say anything or express any fear or worry. She's simply waiting for someone to call her and ask for her assistance as always.

Derek wakes up and immediately yelps seeing all the people around him. He shrinks back in his chair, fiddling with his scarf as he takes in all the faces. Oh wow, that's...a lot of people. Um...hm...he'd like to leave but he's too nervous to get out of his seat. He reaches into his pocket, finding a phone. He has a phone now? Holy shit, he must be rich!

Doctor yawns and stretches lazily. He rubs the glass eyeholes of his mask as if it were his actual eyes and looks around the room. "Ah...did I fall asleep in the middle of a meeting again? What was this one about? If I have to hear another speech about my crimes against humanity or something..."

Ursula wakes up and rubs at her face. Has she been on a bender or something? She isn't one to fall asleep in random places unless she's been partying all night. So that’s probably what happened. She stretches, making sure to be _as loud as possible_ as she does so. "So what the hell is all this?"

Clover wakes up as he always does: with one hell of a start and some sort of half coherent phrase about the government. Normally, he wakes up in his own bed, which calms him down quickly enough. However, this is different. He’s not in his own bed as he was for years upon years before! He’s somewhere completely new! He immediately backs himself up into the nearest corner, clutching his tinfoil hat tight to his head.

Eilert is mostly surprised that he didn’t fall asleep hunched over some pottery pet project. That’s how he’s fallen asleep for months before this. That, and there are a bunch of people all around him. How...worrying.

Elle is sitting closely to Raphael, both of them gripping the other’s hand tightly. Elle has a look of angry defensiveness that she hopes will steer anyone thinking of coming towards her away. Raphael just strokes her hand and looks around with saucer eyes.

Gumi wakes up with a start, fixing his practically perfectly groomed hair before he even dares to look at his surroundings. Hm! Well, he sure as hell doesn’t like this all that but of course he isn’t going to express that, that would be just rude. He offers a little wave to whoever is near. "Um, hello?"

Clarence has a _concerned_ look on his face when he finds himself woken up on the floor surrounded by people. Is this just a stupid party or something he woke up at? Maybe? Or a prank? Hm. Perhaps.

Well, for now, Teze is snoring on the table. His huge wings are still strapped to his back along with his taxidermy cat ears! How normal. How completely normal. A giant man with extremely long arms is snoring like a dog on the table.

However, there is also a man in a hazmat suit! How _incredibly_ normal! But thank god the suit is all fogged up so his face cannot be seen through the glass! But he is quick to wake up and look around. He lets out a gasp as he immediately sees Doctor and does a damn dive bomb for him! "Doctor!!!"

Oh, it looks like Doctor is on the floor now and being pinned by a freak in a hazmat suit. Oh, it's his freak. "Good morning, Bruno. I see you slept quite well!"

Bruno, in his hazmat suit with dog ears and a tail, cuddles up to Doctor! "Hello, Doctor! I did! I always sleep well!"

"Haha! That's a lie, Bruno." Doctor gently pats his head and tries to wiggle out from under him.

Bella is huddled in the corner, looking around at the others and growing increasingly nervous. She taps the side of her phone as she eyes the winged man, her breathing coming in sharp gasps. 

Star wakes up with a start. “What the...” he looks around, pushing himself to his feet. _Where am I?_ He eyes the couple(?) on the floor, and clears his throat pointedly. 

Diamond wakes up and is on her feet in a moment, looking around the room and sizing up the others for weak spots.

Tsutsumi's knocked out, and Saki's... where is he, anyway? Probably creeping around already.

Shinobu opens his eyes. The unfamiliar surroundings immediately make him alert. He gets up from his chair and steps away from the table. On a quick count, there seem to be around thirty people, some of which are more visibly dangerous than others. Could those be his fellow Ultimates? He looks to the person on his immediate left, a ginger-haired man in a turtleneck. He’s absorbed in checking his pockets so Shinobu turns to the person on his right. It’s a youthful pink-haired girl in a black dress. Then again, most people his age look younger than him. Clerks often tend to mistake Shinobu for someone in his late twenties. The girl glances at him. 

"You seem like someone acquainted with order. Perhaps it'd do well if you applied that right now." She says, a stoic smile painting upon her lips. 

Shinobu raises an eyebrow at her insight but doesn't comment. She’s right. Most people keep to themselves, so that'd imply that no one knows of each other. Not good for morale. Shinobu coughs a few times and raises his voice. 

"Everyone, I understand that this strange situation may be overwhelming, but I propose that we gather our bearings and attempt to review our situation. For a start, are you all Ultimate Students just like me?"

"What's it to you? I don't think anyone here is an ultimate at removing sticks from people's asses." Ursula doesn't know this man.... but she knows that she wants to tease him.

Bella nods so fast she almost smacks her head into the wall behind her. “Um. Yes.” 

“Who’s asking?” Star asks with a sultry smirk.

Elle remains quiet and stoic while Raph nods. "Yes, but what exactly _is_ this situation is what I think we all would like to know."

"At least, I think we're all Ultimate students," Raph adds nervously.

Diamond remains silent. She instinctively reaches for her knife, breathing “fuck!” when she doesn’t find one.

Clover lets out a tiny _eep._ Ultimate students? They all have something in common? Oh dear, this does not bode well for his current theory of government fuckery.

Teze awakes. His eyes shoot open. They are nothing besides _menacing_ and _sharp_ . He digs his claws into the table and sits up. He is lanky, thin, and a whole monster of a man. His gaze goes _sweeping_ around the room and lands on Gumi. He stalks over to him, and grabs him, and lifts him into his arms, like a protective giant. He holds him against his chest and _growls_ like a feral animal at anyone else. Can he talk? That is unknown. 

Derek shrieks at Teze...existing and decides to get off his chair and instead hide under the table. This is where he lives now.

Bella screams, then claps her hand over her mouth, shaking violently.

Oh yeah, Clover is definitely afraid now! Terribly horribly afraid! Government fuckery! Government fuckery abound! He curls himself up into the tiniest ball he can manage in the corner.

Elle remains unfazed but Raphael's grip tightens ever so slightly. Elle's arms snakes around Raphael to cover him from any impending Teze-attacks.

Star stands very, very still as he looks at the... person? creature? Trying very hard to not make sudden movements, he turns towards it, hands up in clear surrender. “Hey there,” he says with a smile. “Can you set the.. person down now, please?”

Gumi doesn't even seem to flinch, what a freak! Gumi just smiles, he sees everyone staring, oh right yes this isn't very normal, is it! "Oh, don't worry everyone. He's practically harmless." Sure dude, sure.

Bella slowly stops shaking. “He is?”

Star raises one skeptical eyebrow.

Teze _growls_ at Star behind his mouth mask. He nuzzles Gumi's neck. Very possessive creature here!

Oh! He’s harmless! Clover seems to calm down immediately once Gumi says that. He waves. "Hello, mister sharp man!"

Saki pops out from underneath the table. "Oh, wow, a freak already!" Goddammit.

Bella, Star, and Diamond all turn to look at Saki in shock.

Derek isn't moving from under the desk.

Akiko is still just...sitting there and watching everyone.

Only Doctor seems unbothered of the three! He gets to his feet and dusts himself off. "Let's leave the friendly gentleman alone, or else he might... _ruffle his feathers_!"

"I'm going to murder the next person who uses wordplay." Ursula looks around for her throwing knives. "And apparently I'll have to do it with my bare hands." She glares pointedly at Doctor.

That's enough voices to confirm Shinobu’s suspicions. A large number of Ultimates waking up in a room with seemingly no recollection of how they got there? That doesn't bode well.

"Very well. I propose that we all introduce ourselves for the ease of further discussion. My name is Shinobu Akiyama and I am known as the Ultimate Soldier,” he says.

The pink-haired girl raises her hand. "Suzune Hosokawa, Ultimate Psychologist..." she says, her voice trailing as a creature of an uncertain degree of humanity has woken up and begun moving.

The ginger-haired man whistles. "Now that's a worthy specimen for research!" he says, setting his eyes on the creature.

Gumi just smiles softly. He pats Teze gently, before looking back. "This is Tezealeshan, and I'm Gumi, it's nice to meet you all."

Teze glares at Doctor behind his glasses. He is not amused. In fact, he drops Gumi immediately and takes one _large_ step towards Doctor.

Doctor doesn't even flinch. In fact, he puts his hands on his hips and puffs out his chest in a really over-exaggerated way. Is he even taking any of this seriously? "You should all learn to appreciate good humor!"

Aw dang! The sharp man didn't wave back at Clover. He frowns a tiny bit, then brushes it off. "I'm Clover! Clover Floros!" He waves at everybody in the room.

“I’m Isabella... but, really, I go by Bella.” Bella slowly pushes herself to her feet, clinging to the wall as she stares at Tezealeshan with clear fear in her eyes. “Ultimate Hacker...”

Saki grins at the first person he can see staring at him and throws back his head in a laugh.

Elle is hesitant to introduce herself but has a feeling Raph would just introduce her anyway. "I'm Raphael Winter, and this is Elle," he murmurs. "We're ultimates, uhh."

Gumi sighs lightly as he is put down. Oh no, someone may get their face ripped off unless he does something. He takes Teze's hand gently before tugging at it as a way to say for him to settle down. "Hey hey, no need for that ok?" He looks up at Teze with a small smile.

Teze's head whips around to look at Gumi. His arms, only ending in _life-ending_ claws. He holds the mall man's hands and stops. He is now... relaxed?

"Ursula Vargas. None of you morons are good enough to speak to me, so don't even try." 

The man with the long brown hair seems to just be dissociating. All that's playing in his head is the Mii theme. And the windows startup sound. It's a remix. It's fire, trust him on that.

Saki's eyes are flitting around the room. He doesn't know who to annoy first.

Bruno is holding onto Doctor, frightened by Teze, and shaking a bit in his hazmat suit.

Milk finally snaps awake, yawning as she stretches.

Anda raises her hand in a friendly wave to everyone in the room, glad that everyone is at least friendly enough to introduce themselves. "Hello! My name is Anda Serizawa! It's lovely to meet you all!"

Diamond rolls her eyes. “Diamond Miller, not that it’s any of _your_ business.” Her hands twitch periodically. _Goddamn it, where are my knives?_

“Star Hartt,” Star says with a smile. “Pleasure to meet you all! I’m an ultimate... hmm, people-pleaser, let’s say,” he purrs, throwing a wink at Shinobu.

Oh fuck, is that her wife? Ursula turns around as soon as she hears Anda. In what seems to be one fluid movement, she walks across the room, picks up her tiny wife, and slings her over her shoulder.

Anda shrieks as she’s lifted, laughing happily as she realizes who it is. "Hello, you!" She giggles, clinging on.

"I can't believe I didn't notice you, _coração._ After all, you light up a room just as well as you light up my life." She decides to walk _away_ from all the freaky people before setting Anda down. Once she's placed Anda on the ground, she leans down to give her a kiss!

Anda giggles happily, going pink in the face. "Stooppp, you're gonna embarrass me!"

Doctor is standing by calmly. Teze didn't even make him flinch.

Bella squeaks as she eyes the.. dog-hazmat- _thing,_ vibrating ever so slightly. Her eyes dart around the room, and she struggles to take it all in.

Saki lets out an exaggerated yawn. "Okay, now what?"

Miliko has been awake for all of one minute and she immediately wants to be unconscious again. She slowly climbs under the table, deciding to stay there, and press her hands against her ears until the noise is gone.

“N-n-n-n-“ Bella gives up, sliding back down to the floor and covering her eyes.

Saki kneels down next to Bella, waving a hand right in front of her closed eyes. "Helloooo? Anyone home?"

Bella shrieks, her hands moving to cover her head. “Please don’t hurt me!”

He snickers. "C'mon, get up. It's only gonna get worse from here on out!"

Shinobu has spoken twice and he already knows that this group is going to prove a challenge to keep in line. Wonderful.

"First, I'd like you all to refrain from violence. I'd hate to have to step in when we barely even know our names. Second," He glances at Star. "I am not into men."

Star presses a hand to his chest and gasps in loud, mock-offense. “Such a shame,” he says smoothly.

"Now, does anyone have any knowledge of how we've found ourselves here?" Shinobu says, in hopes for the slightest piece of information. In the meanwhile, Suzune stands up and approaches one of the doors. She twists the handle. Locked. She moves to check the other doors.

Miliko immediately notices Shinobu and crawls out from under the table, moving over to him. "...." She just stares at him for a moment, dead-eyed and expressionless.

Clover is a bit upset that nobody’s paying attention to him. He waved at everybody and said his name and everything, but everyone seems to be more interested in all the mysterious stuff! He goes back to sitting in his corner and sulking.

 **One of the metal doors finally slides open, revealing two people, followed by two robots being held aloft by small rockets.**

"HELLOOOOOOO! INHABITANTS! NOW PLEASE, LISTEN CAREFULLY!" a man announces, tapping at a tablet in his hands.

Bella screams, very loudly.

Clarence is just watching, hm. This is sure a lot of different personalities to appeal to here, it must be best just to watch. OH COOL, ROBOTS. " **OH SHIT, ROBOTS!** "

Tsutsumi jolts awake with a yell.

Star turns to the two people and raises his eyebrows.

Derek peeks out from under the table and his eyes sparkle with excitement. Woah…

Deacon follows behind Valentine as he approaches the stage, fiddling with the wrench in her toolbelt. Her gaze is terrifying and sharp. Dewey, her robot companion, buzzes around her head.

Oh, she's scary! Derek hides under the table again.

"Okay! That didn't sound like listening carefully to me!" Valentine sounds so incredibly cheerful it's almost annoying.

Diamond shifts into a defensive stance and eyes the robots, then the people. _This is already so FUCKING WEIRD._

Milk still has her hands over her ears, staring at Shinobu. Is she even blinking?

Ursula snatches Anda up again as some _authority figures_ walk in. God, she hates authority figures.

"I KNEW IT!!!" Clover jumps up and points at the new people and their robots. "It's the government! How did you get the drop on me?! I live five miles away from the nearest human being!"

Saki bonks his head on the table getting up. "A-"

" **YOU TOO?** " shrieks Tsutsumi in response to Clover. Calm down, Tsutsumi.

"... Okay! Cool! Not a government agent or anything like that but shut up!" Valentine smiles and points to Clover.

Clover lets out another _eep_ as someone shouts at him... then a third _eep_ as the important-looking man tells him that he wasn't from the government. That’s three _eep_ s since he got here. He goes back to sulking in his corner. If he’s wrong about the government, then he has to rework his theory!

Bella finally takes in the robots, then the people. “S-s-s-sorry,” she breathes.

Suzune steps back from the suddenly opened door, eyes wide in shock. Shinobu turns toward the newcomers. _Must be our captors,_ he thinks. The ginger-haired man settles into the chair, keeping his eyes fixated on the newly arrived.

“Yes, okay, we’re listening,” Star says smoothly, casting pointed looks to everyone else in the room.

Doctor is just gonna keep standing there, idly waiting for something interesting to happen.

"Sit! Grab a chair and sit! Sit down so I can actually announce the stuff that will _change your life!_ " Valentine then gets up on the stage, followed by Deacon, and he clears his throat.

Tsutsumi's eyes are wide with fear and he's shaking like a shitty washing machine. Saki just plops on the floor.

Shinobu and Suzune both hesitantly return to their seats.

Milk's stare goes from Shinobu to Star when she notices him staring at people, just kinda...boring holes into him.

Star didn’t like that. He frowns.

Milk just stares.

Star’s pleasant gaze shifts to one of distaste, and he scowls. _What the fuck is her problem?_

Milk pauses, and when he scowls, she tilts her head a little. She then looks away, visibly uninterested.

Bella rushes to a chair, sits down, and stares at the man with wide eyes.

Star pulls out a chair and sits down, propping his head up and smiling placatingly. He tosses a wink to Milk.

Diamond crosses her arms and looks at them expectantly.

"Perhaps I will stand!" Doctor isn't the kind of guy to just sit down.

"Okay, dumbass," Saki said without even looking Doctor's way.

The hairs on Raphael's arms stand on end but he continues to play with the bandaids on his fingers and sinking into Elle's side.

Clarence sits like a stupid person trying to get attention. He's good at that.

Gumi just sits and smiles. He's a good boy unlike most of this cast.

Clover sits... somewhere! Since most people are choosing not to sit, it leaves a lot of open spaces to sit in!

Eilert is already sitting! On the floor! Staring at nothing! He's not really there, it's fine.

Ursula just keeps a tight hold on her wife and glares at the new people.

Dewey rattles excitedly. _"Beep boop beep bap bop!"_ He beeps and boops. Curie flies over and translates in real-time in a monotone yet unnerving voice. _"This will be so much fun."_

"Okay! Great! Fine, fine, don't sit, I really don't care but!"

" **WELCOME TO VAULT 147!** Here we have... _definitely_ the latest in technology and amenities! Built all by the lovely _VaultTec_ ! Which is where we are from! We are your overseers for the time being! Here to oversee this... **killing game.** "

"What is a killing game you ask?" No one asked him anything.

"Here in this vault, you will be required to **kill each other**. Why you ask? Well, you'll see later!"

"Oh, alright then!" Doctor remains unbothered.

Bella squeaks as he starts talking, then screams.

Star raises one eyebrow, apparently uninterested. 

_Oh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck,_ he thinks.

Clarence tilts his head to the side "Hm, that sounds pretty un-epic."

Eilert snaps out of his dissociation for a brief minute, raising a hand to object, before slipping back out of reality. He doesn't have the mental capacity to deal with that.

Clover _eeps_ again. "Wait, we have to _what_ now?" And they’re introducing themselves and completely disregarding what they just said? He takes a deep breath. _"Please say sike."_

“Great, how are we supposed to do that with _no weapons?_ ” Diamond snaps, tapping her foot.

Ursula immediately starts sizing everybody up. She’s pretty sure she could take at least half of these people.

Saki hums. "Okay, nice!" Tsutsumi's wailing again.

"But! But, but!" He holds a finger up! "My name is Valentine! And this is..." He gestures to Deacon. He then nudges her with his elbow.

Deacon stares bullets through the crowd but her eyes smile when they meet Valentine's. "Deacon," She starts, her voice as icy as a cold sheet of metal. She looks back out and an air of cold shrouds the room. Her smile cracks through the icy silence. "The Engineer."

“H-h-h-“ Bella just straight up passes out.

Dewey buzzes around the Overseer and Engineer. _"DEWEY."_ His robotic circular body seems to be grinning, endlessly excited over the one word he can properly say.

Akiko still hasn't reacted to anything, merely waiting to be addressed still.

Raphael is slightly shaking under Elle's hold, but is held down by her grasp. He's sweating bullets as Elle continues her deathly glare, now meeting Deacon's gaze in a battle of stares.

Star raps his fingers on the table and looks around at everyone, considering. He’s a little irritated and very panicked. He aches all over, and he kind of wants to sleep for a year straight.

"Oh! You'll find lots of weapons around here! Thanks to our _lovely_ engineer here!" He pats Deacon, and then holds her in a light chokehold! "Let me jusssst..." He taps the tablet, and the surrounding doors open! Yay! You may now leave! "Also! You can't kill us! Because if you _do_ ." The two robots whip out multiple laser cannons and guns! How _friendly_ looking. Who knew small bodies could store such large weapons. **"You'll be shot dead!"**

Diamond glances to the engineer in the chokehold, only a little bit weirded out. “Fine, okay, thanks, now what.”

Bella is still passed out on the floor.

"Well you're free to go obviously! Well, free to wander the vault and get to know people! Who knows who will die first! And who will kill them! Who knows! I don't!" He then **throws the tablet on the ground and steps on it.** It breaks immediately! And then one Eyebot, labeled Curie, swoops down to scoop it up.

Clarence stares at robots kind of amazed in all honesty, this is actually _so cool_. Just a little bit of murder, sure why not! Gumi still tries to retain a smile on his face, it looks rather strained but he's trying to remain calm.

Star has officially decided that this guy is fucking weird. “Okay,” he says. He rises to his feet and slowly walks out of the room.

Elle immediately stands up and drags Raphael with her. They go to the nearest exit and into the recreation center.

Waaaaaaaah. This is not fun! No thanks! In all his years of conspiracy theorizing, Clover never really expected something like _this_ to happen. He squeezes his eyes shut and covers his ears. Maybe if he just tries hard enough, he'll wake up and be back at home! 

Eilert gets up and walked out since it requires less effort than staying there and listening to everyone jabber on.

Ursula continues to hold onto Anda. This is unprecedented territory and she definitely wants to get her bearings first.

Bella remains passed out. Diamond looks at her with distaste. “So, are we doing anything about her?”

Ah! Clover can help with that! Maybe! He walks over to the sleeping Bella person and sorta... nudges her a little.

Surprisingly, Bella wakes up! Unsurprisingly, she screams again.

Clover lets out another _eep,_ before gently patting her on the head. "It's.... probably all gonna be okay! I'm sure nobody's gonna kill anybody!" He looks back at Diamond. "Right?"

Milk flinches as someone screams, covering her ears again. 

“People will definitely start killing each other,” Diamond says dryly. “I’m surprised that one hasn’t already.” She points to the winged man.

Doctor looks to Bruno. "Alright, ready to go? Maybe we can find a good spot to watch a murder happen."

Bella squeals, jumping to her feet and using Diamond as sort of a human shield. Diamond is...unimpressed.

Clover sighs. "Welllllll then I'm sure someone will notice we're gone and send someone to come get us!

Diamond rolls her eyes. “You said you live five miles away from the nearest human. I live alone. I doubt this one has any friends,” she says, stepping away from Bella.

Ursula shrugs. "I have a job, so I'm sure someone will notice I'm missing. Because I have friends and a life, unlike half the people here, apparently." She gives Anda a smooch.

Deacon is still smiling as she and Valentine exit through the back door of the stage, Valentine still blowing kisses and catching holographic roses as they and the Eyebots escape into a dark tunnel.

“And no-one is wondering why we’re in a nuclear bunker?” Diamond asks.

Bella vibrates nervously, twisting her hands together.

Teze holds Gumi against him again and growls. **"Let me get one thing clear."** Oh boy.

“It can talk!” Bella screams.

Clover frowns, then perks up as the sharp man starts talking! Someone told him that the sharp man meant no harm, and he wholeheartedly believed them! He waves!

His voice is gravely, like hearing someone literally step on gravel, and he glares at anyone who dares even look at him. **"I will viciously kill anyone who touches my follower. Gumi is** **_mine_ ** **and if anyone touches him I will separate your head from your neck and drink your blood."**

 **"I am a god and I am not scared of any of you** **_puny_ ** **humans."**

Bella looks dangerously close to passing out again. “H-h-he-h-“

"Ah, ah! Please, calm down, friend! If you're going to kill someone, make sure no one is watching!" Doctor exclaims.

Kill each other. Those words strike Shinobu like a flesh-piercing bullet. They immediately make him realize what kind of situation everyone's stuck in. It's not about a ransom. This is about making a statement, proving an ideal. That means that the pair cannot be reasoned with and there is no way to predict what they’ll do. He shoots a look at Suzune and the yet-unknown ginger man. They appear to be just as concerned as he is. Most of the others appear to share a similar viewpoint. He'll have to keep a close eye on those that aren't unnerved by this. He then feels his phone pinging. Strange, he doesn't usually carry a phone. It also appears to have a map of this _Vault_ , as the pair called it. Would that be anywhere in Japan? Or does he perhaps have a gap in his memory? He's experienced it on a few occasions, so he wouldn't be surprised. He and the ginger man look then at the strange beast-like man. Suzune, on the other hand, leaves the meeting room.

Diamond rolls her eyes. “Alright, I’m leaving. Bye.” She walks out of the meeting room and into the recreation center.

Gumi blinks real slow. Well, now that Teze’s made that clear he guesses there’s nothing to worry about...heh...He looks up at Teze with a small frown on his face but it's not all too visible. "It’s ok, Teze, I’m sure it won't come to that."

Teze looks at Gumi, and begins to... purr? "I needed to make it _clear_ what will happen if they dare lay a hand on my most _favorite_ follower."

"I just thought a little helpful advice goes a long way!" Helpful advice in killing people isn't good advice.

The monster shoots a glare at Doctor. He will not hesitate. He will kill you right now. Please don't make him.

Doctor still isn't scared at all. He has his hands behind his back and looks pretty pleased with himself.

Bella is frozen to the spot. “I-I-I-“ She sways a little. “I need to go.” She does not move.

Clover tilts his head. "Okay! That was scary!" He now knows not to trust that Gumi person to tell him when things are safe or not! He decides that he’s scared enough to finally need to leave the room. He gently takes Bella's hand and drags her off with him to the recreation center.

Bruno sort of... hugs Doctor and starts tugging him away from Teze. He won't admit it but he doesn't even think he could take him down! And he’s good at killing things! "Doctor! I think we should, uh... Investigate!"

"Hm? Oh, yes, an excellent proposal, Bruno! Let us go!" He walks off, just letting Bruno stay grappled onto him.

He whispers a small ' _sorry_ ' to anyone who may be in earshot. Gumi feels kinda bad about this whole situation and being locked up with Teze isn't usually a good thing for a normal person! He smiles lightly up at Tezealeshan. "Well, now that you've done that would you like to look around perhaps? Or are you ok for now?" he asks.

Ursula takes a moment to stare at Teze, then walks out with her tiny wife. Off to the recreation center they go!

“..." Teze stares at Gumi. Normally that stare terrifies people, but not Gumi. "I am fine with whatever you want to, dear follower." He then pets him on the head, attempting to be comforting. **Gumi will be safe no matter what.**

Derek just kind of lives under the table now. He's not moving until the room is empty.

 _Such a fascinating mutation. I haven't had an encounter with that kind of body build yet._ Lynwood, the ginger man himself, thinks, as he makes a surface-level analysis. This nuclear fallout might just prove to benefit greatly toward his research. He needs to know. If this creature called Teze will willingly provide data. He stands up and starts sauntering over to Teze. "Hello there! My name is Lynwood Belmont, the Ultimate Surgeon. Would you mind if I take a look at your body to see how it functions?"

Gumi lets out a small happy sigh now that Teze seems a little bit more at peace. _And then someone approaches them._ He gives Lynwood a small _strained_ smile, as a way to possibly tell him this isn't a _great_ idea.

Teze looks at Lynwood and glares. Well, he’s almost always glaring. “And why would I do that, _Lynwood Belmont_.” He says that name like it’s a joke. Sarcasm. It’s always sarcastic.

"Um, Lynwood I...I don't think this is a particularly good idea. After all. I'm sure everyone is quite stressed out considering our...current situation!" aka _please don't do this. This is a very bad idea._

"Why? It's quite simple,” he says, his smile beaming with honesty and genuity. "You see, I have an interest in human bodies. And more precisely, I am interested in their limits. I believe that we still haven't truly tapped upon all the possibilities we are capable of reaching and as such, I research people with unique alignments and bodies in hopes that I might reach a breakthrough and elevate humanity as species." He takes a step forward. "So, would you be willing to participate? Elongated arms such as the ones in your possession are a rare sight indeed. It won't hurt a single bit, I promise."

Lynwood, buddy, are you sure?

“I have no limits. I’m a _god_ . Gods have no limits. If I had limits I would be _weak._ ” You can hear a gritting sound from behind his mask. Is that the sound his teeth make? “Your puny human brain wouldn’t even be able to _comprehend_ this and what I am capable of.”

Gumi lets out an uncomfortable sounding laugh. "Does that answer your question, Mr. Belmont?" Gumi asks softly, telling that Teze is starting to get annoyed.

"Neither does human stupidity, but finding a cure for that is impossible. Now, let me just take a look--" Lynwood is cut off as Shinobu wraps his arms around his neck and puts him in a headlock.

"Yes, it's a satisfying answer for him, us, and everyone else here. We apparently have dorm rooms, so I'm going to lead him there and see if he perhaps has any medical supplies." Shinobu says, not letting Lynwood get another word in. "See you around." Shinobu nods to the two and carries Lynwood out of the room.

Derek still wants at least Teze to be gone. Please save him.

Teze watches them run off and rolls his eyes. Pathetic, worthless human beings. The only one here _worth_ his _godly_ grace is his precious little Gumi. He then hugs the small man gently and purrs again. He is content.

Hmm, well, that works! Gumi smiles lightly accepting the hug. "You really do need to be careful though Teze, I know this sort of situation is...going to be hard for us but..." He’s not entirely sure how to ask him to 'behave' exactly, after all that was kind of impossible for him but, he doesn't want anything bad happening to him.

“This won’t be hard _at all._ ” He lets out a small growl. “I will do _anything_ to protect you. Trust _no one._ And if they hurt you I will not hesitate to **devour them.** Their bodies will be used as fuel for my power.”

Derek's going to actually start crying, he's terrified.

Gumi lets out a small sigh, reaching up to fix one of the cat ears that’s attached to Teze's wild hair. "I know I know but please just try to behave. No one can hurt me around here, we are past all of that. Remember?" He stops fussing with the attachment before lowering his hands to his own hips and letting out a small puff from the chest, thinking as normal. "You have nothing to worry about, you're just worked up is all. It's a stressful situation." That's one way to put it Gumi.

“...” Teze is silent as he lets the small man fix his very important cat ears. Gumi made them, so obviously they are important. “Fine. I will... _behave._ ” No more ‘I can clearly maul you to death and not think twice about it’ Tezealeshan.

Gumi looks up and gives him a big wide smile, actually very happy to hear that! "Great!" He chipped up with, he couldn't ask for anything better, he knew that by this point. He then looks under the table, knowing that Derek’s been under there for...a while now. "Everything is ok now if that is what you are worried about. Everyone seems nice and calm." He lets out a tiny laugh "For now."

Derek just whimpers and scoots back when Gumi peeked his head under. Gumi seems nice...he's with the scary guy that wants to eat people.

Teze is silent and at least a little less threatening now. He isn’t giving off as much ‘I will kill you and eat you’ vibes as he was a while ago.

Gumi frowns slightly before shaking his head and standing back up to look at Teze. "I know! How about we go see if there is anything that may... satisfy your hunger hm? That always tends to make you feel better."

“... That is a good idea.” He does not know when the last time he ate was. He then holds out his hand for Gumi to take. He can act a bit normal but holding his hand is a must.

Gumi gives a small smile before taking Teze's hand, and they head to the recreation center to get to the canteen. Hopefully, now Derek can be free.

As soon as they leave, Derek makes a dash for the door.

Off in a corner, unnoticed, Joey wakes up. He scans the room, then gently shakes his sister, who’s wrapped her arms around him.

“Arte, Artemis, wake up. We made it, we’re safe now.”

Artemis starts, scrambling to her feet as fast as she can before pulling Joey to his feet as well. “A-are you good? You okay?” She asks softly, patting down Joey’s sides until he grabs her hands and brings them in front of them both, pulling them face-to-face.

“I’m fine, are you good?”

“I’m good, um... are we alone? I thought we came in with... more people.” Artemis moves around her brother, looking around the room. “Where is everybody?”

“I don’t know, honestly... you think we should explore? Together, of course.” Artemis nods then quirks a smile as they meet each other’s eyes and say in dead unison: **“Don’t go where I can’t follow.”** Joey sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I do so wish you were less predictable than that.”

“And I wish you were less of a cheesy bastard,” Artemis quips before moving towards one of the doors. “Ready?”

“As long as you promise not to kill on sight, fine.” Joey lets her lead the way as they make their way into the recreation center.


	3. First Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cast of Fallout of Hope (Discord listed if no AO3 Account)
> 
> Epona Deacon, Elle and Raphael Winter: @lemonave  
> Nicodemus Valentine, Bruno, and Tezealeshan the Third: @phantom_chain  
> Artemis and Joseph "Joey" Williamson: @MsSpaceAce  
> Isabelle "Bella" Mason, Star Hartt, and Diamond Miller: @stardazed_daydreams  
> Derek Park, Akiko Kurosagi, and Doctor: James#2288  
> Lynwood Belmont, Shinobu Akiyama, and Suzune Hosokawa: Dinglebat Try#5065  
> Gumiaessojil "Gumi" Ensnomi and Clarence Hopps: Sori for party rocking#3793  
> Anda Serizawa and Miliko "Milk" Toyotomi: UntitledSunny#0357  
> Clover Floros, Eilert Losnedahl, and Ursula Vargas: Tobo#0161  
> Tsutsumi and Saki F. Mori: stephen 💕#9508

Elle has Raphael in her grasp and they plop on the dusty couch, sending a cloud of dust up as she grabs him into a warm embrace and he silently lets some tears fall down.  _ "Je t'ai," _ she murmurs into his chest.  _ "Nous irons bien." _

Raphael nods.  _ "Je ne sais pas cette fois, Elle," _ He taps the hidden star underneath her pants where a dagger also rests.  _ "Mais je te fais confiance." _

Star ends up here, and he tries very hard not to stare at Raphael and Elle. He pokes around, looking in the cabinets and under the couch.

Milk walks in as well. It's quieter, and she appreciates that. She sits down on the floor near the back of the room, yawning to herself and closing her eyes.

Star finds nothing of interest except a few snacks. He holds a package of crackers in his hands, and eyes it a little. He’s not sure if he can trust the food here.

Star glances to Milk and decides to try again. “Hey,” he says with a smirk.

Milk opens one eye and stares at him for a few seconds, blank-faced. "...Hi." She then closes her eye again.

Eilert has entered and ended up laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling at one point. His eyes are a kind shape. It’s just unnerving because he doesn’t seem to blink.

Diamond walks in. “Oh, fuck me,” she groans, looking between Milk and Eilert. She steps over/around them and sees the next exit. “Has anyone been through there yet?” She looks pointedly at Eilert.

"Nope." Oh fuck, he said a word. After he says the word though, he just goes back to staring at the ceiling.

“Of course you haven’t!” Diamond storms off, into the entrance hall.

Milk yawns a little, staring up at the ceiling. She eventually gets up, trying to get to the snacks. She realizes Star is in the way, so naturally the obvious solution is to pick him up, move him to the side, and then get to the snacks.

Star blinks, then stares. “What...”

She ignores him, climbing onto the counter to rummage through the snacks.

Eilert hears snacks! He slowly sits up, turning to stare at Milk and see what she came up with.

Milk realizes she's being stared at and stares back with a frown.

Ah...she doesn’t look happy. Probably because Eilert is staring! He offers a small smile, hoping that will be placating enough.

Star looks at the crackers in his hand, shrugs, and pops them in his mouth. They’re stale, but seem fine.

Ursula walks in here with her tiny wife, then squints. Too many people. She decides that she'll walk off somewhere else. She doesn't trust any of these people with her tiny ball of sunshine.

"...What are...your names," she mumbles, still rummaging.

"Eilert Losnedahl..." He picks up a hand to wave at her. He’s interacting! His therapist always says that’s a good thing.

“Star Hartt,” Star purrs.

Gumi coming through, don’t mind the twink leading a giant monster by the hand, this is normal.

Eilert stares at the monster from the floor, offering a weak wave. He’s already dissociating so much that he doubts his own existence, so what’s one large monster in the grand scheme of things?

The monster walks by. He only has eyes for Gumi.

Milk hears their names, thinks about it, and then physically withers a little. "Nice to meet you... Eilert.” She turns to Star. “You are...in a roomm-m...with me." She stares, blank faced after that brief moment of disappointment.

Star tries  (and FAILS) to not be  _ too _ hurt. "Well, it's nice to meet you..." he trails off expectantly.

"...Yeah." She stares at him.

"...Oh- Forgot mine." The smallest of laughs. It's melodic and sweet, and VERY rare.

"My name...mmhhhh...It's Mil-ik-o. To-yo-to-mi." She drags her words out a little to make sure she pronounces it properly. "But...people call me...Milk."

She picks up one of the mugs and begins looking for anything to use for making a good drink.

Star immediately straightens. "Miliko?  _ Miliko Toyotomi? _ Like the model?" His eyes shine excitedly.

"Hgk-" Instantly, the mug is crushed in her bare hand.

Her head snaps to glare at him, and a dangerous aura begins to vibrate off of her.

Star doesn't even flinch. "Oh- sorry, touchy subject?" He raises his hands in surrender. "My bad, darling."

"You have...the wrong Miliko." She grumbles, not even noticing that her hand is now bleeding from the cut shards as she goes back to the snacks.

"I'm sure," he says smoothly, although now that the name has clicked in his mind, he knows without a doubt who she is. "Do you want some help with that?"

"No," she immediately responds, unimpressed. "What is...your talent," she asks, though it's more out of formality than interest at this point.

"Hm," he says, trying his best to put it delicately. "My talent is...that people like me." He smiles disarmingly.

She stares at him for a VERY long time after that. "...Are...Are you sure?" She raises her eyebrows a little. "I am...the Ultimate Barista."

"Well, officially, they call me The Ultimate Charmer." His smile does not waver.

“Yo, pretty boy,” Artemis calls from the doorway, making her way over to Star. “The hell is going on? Where are we, the fallout bunker still? What is all this?”

Star turns towards her, eyebrows raised. Pretty boy, huh? At least  _ someone _ around here has taste. "I assume you slept through the presentation? Yes, we're in the bunker. The overseer and engineer...well." His smile turns brittle. "They  _ expect _ us to start killing each other."

“E-Excuse me?” Joey stutters from the doorway, waving quietly to Milk before he stands next to Artemis. “Hi Milk, they ‘expect’ us to do what, exactly?”

Star shrugs, the movement fluid. "Well, I can only say what they told us, which is that we are  _ supposed _ to start killing each other. But not them, because obviously that just wouldn't be  _ fair, _ now would it?" He rolls his eyes a little.

“Just like...start grabbing shit and chucking at one another to hope it’ll knock us unconscious and eventually kill us? That sounds dumb,” Artemis huffs. Joey looks incredulously between Star and Artemis. “Wh- you’re not wrong about that being unfair, but...why in God’s name would they have us kill one another? Isn’t the point of, I don’t know, surviving nuclear fallout to  _ survive _ ?” Artemis perks up suddenly. “Hey, wait, that means I have a roommate. BerightbackIpromise!” She cries, taking off out of the rec center and towards her dorm room before Joey can protest.

Star looks after the girl, then back to the boy. "They claim to have weapons somewhere around here if that's what she meant," he says. "And I'm not sure  _ why _ they are trying to get us to kill each other; all they've said so far is 'You'll find out'," he says in a surprisingly accurate mockery of Valentine's voice.

“Delightful,” Joey says in complete deadpan, before sighing and rubbing at his eyes from underneath his glasses. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you both before today. My name is Joseph, most people call me Joey, and the little one you just saw run out of the room is Artemis. I apologize for her rudeness if we interrupted anything.”

Star looks at Milk, shrugging. "That's quite alright." In one movement, he steps forward, grips Joey's hand, and presses a feather-light kiss to his knuckles. "My name is Star," he says, "and it's a pleasure to meet you,  _ mi amor. _ "

Joey almost steps back, red rising and blending in with the scarf around his neck. “A-Ah, yes, th-thank you, Star, um...Miliko? You alright?” He forces himself to tear his eyes off of Star to look more closely at Milk, waving again at her. “Is this...normal? Have I scared her?”

"Far as I can tell," Star says with a shrug. "Although, dear, we really should do something about your hand."

“M-My ha—Ah! Oh, dear...” Joey glances between his own hands and Milk’s very obviously bleeding ones. “Um, she appears to be...un-unresponsive. Um...you think she’ll be okay if we just...leave her like this?”

“I think so,” Star says. “She seems alright on her own.” He  _ hopes _ so.

”I’m... going to take your word for it...” Joey murmurs, scanning over Milk quickly before settling back on Star...damnit. “So, I...can’t believe I slept through everything, um, so other than the murder game that seems to be going on, anything else I missed? Some people make it in, some not? Anyone I should watch out for?”

“Oh, I’m afraid not much has happened...people have just been going exploring, it seems...as for  _ watching out, _ there is one person you should keep an eye on. He has wings and claws and definitely does not want his ‘follower’ hurt. So I’d steer clear of them both.” He clicks his tongue.

Joey raises an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he thinks to himself. “Remind me of a name, again? I’m sorry, my memory is shit on these things.”  _ Schlange und das Biest, _ he knows exactly who he’s talking about.

"Tezealeshan," he says carefully, probably butchering the pronunciation. "And- um- I think his friend was named Gumi."

Joey nods, smiling a little. "Thanks. Now, I've asked my questions, is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

Star pauses for a second, then smiles charmingly. "You wouldn't happen to like guys, would you?" A bit blunt, maybe, but hey. Straightforward was always Star's style.

Joey blanches again. Years of harassment and bullshit immediately collide with the small spark of hope that ignites in his chest. "I, um... I might be, why do you ask?"

"Cause I am," Star says with a wink, "And you are  _ very _ cute."

...Oh fuck, he isn't lying. Oh no. The red beneath Joey's collar grows up his neck and into his ears and face. "Hoo, oh my sister's gonna be pissed when she hears about this, oh man..." he chuckles to himself, putting a hand over his mouth and turning away to hide his smile.

Star smirks a little. "Your sister?" He looks in the direction that Artemis had run off to. "That girl?"

"Yeah, she's... she's my sister. What, you couldn't tell with the matching shade of hair and the totally similar heights?"

Star laughs. "Well, I didn't want to assume anything." He eyes Joey a little, then looks around the room. "What do you say we get out of here?" He's a little tired of standing in this room with two of the least interesting people he's ever met, and wandering the halls of the bunker with this cute boy seems like a good use of his time while he...I don't know, waits for the inevitable end?

Normally warning bells would be going off in his head, but Joey is a bit distracted at the moment. "Yeah, that sounds...nice, amazing, actually. Anywhere in particular you'd like to go? I'm afraid this is as far as I've gotten in my exploration."

Star grins, then offers Joey his arm. "Let's go, then."

Joey takes it and allows Star to lead him along

Star leads them both to the entrance hall.

Elle and Raphael wake from their far too long panic nap, clutching each other in fear as they sink into the dirty yet surprisingly comfortable couch. Elle nudges Raph awake and whispers,  _ "Faim?" _ He nods in reply and they make their way to the canteen.

~

Diamond looks at each room. They are near-identical, the only thing different about them is the names on the signs by the doors. She finds one with her name, hesitates a moment, then steps into her and Saki’s room.

Artemis skitters down the hall, just barely missing her room before she bangs on the door, calling out to her roommate. When no one answers, she pushes into her and Akiko’s room.

Artemis throws open the door to her room, rushing in to find it... empty. Great. She looks around and picks at some of the shelves, gasping as she finds a small knife hidden between the wall and a basket. She sheaths it on her hip. Looking around, she blows air between her teeth, then scrambles up the ladder of the bunk bed, swinging her legs over the edge. “Top bunk’s mine, bitch...” she crows, then flops backwards, eventually curling up and falling asleep again.

Star leads Joey into the hall, smiling a little. He looks down the hallway. “Do you want to find your room?” He asks.

Joey shrugs. “Shouldn’t be that hard if they’re all labeled like this.” He points to a random dorm closest to him as a smirk worms its way onto his face. “You think they’ll pitch a fit about us bringing non-roommates into our rooms? I’d like to avoid breaking the rules right away, but I’m not so sure I want to be left alone quite yet...”

Star tries very, very hard not to think dirty thoughts. (He fails.) “I don’t see any rules saying we can’t,” he says.

Joey raises an eyebrow, watching Star out of the corner of his eye as he shifts to hold Star’s hand fully and take the lead. “Well then, why don’t we go see if my room is occupied. Hopefully, my roommate isn’t too obnoxious...or has taken the bottom bunk.” He considers winking, but thinks twice about it and merely leads Star on to Joey and Bella’s room.

~

Shinobu drags Lynwood to his and Eilert’s room and pushes him through the door. "See if you've got anything of yours in here. I'll see what I've got," he says and shuts the door. 

Goodness, the nerve of that guy. Lynwood goes on to rummage the shelves, not paying the slightest mind to whatever his roommate might have. Even if he found his tools, he'd have to make sure that he's got everything and that they're all contained away from the bacteria properly. Anything to upkeep the proper procedures.

Shinobu makes his way to his own room.  _ My headlock wasn't as effective as it should've been, _ Shinobu thinks in regards to his recent intervention upon Lynwood. Even in his hold, it felt as though Lynwood could still maneuver himself to an alarming degree. He must've fallen out of practice. He’s currently sitting on his bed, hands folded in front and his eyes pointed down. He’s piecing his memory back together - the world as he knows it is over. A nuclear fallout happened out of nowhere and everything went blank the moment he got into the bunker. How much time has passed since then? It can't have been much, around a week is his best guess. He hasn't noted an appearance of any unknown scar and the ones he has are just as he remembered them. Compared to these mental puzzles, finding his belongings is fairly straightforward; they’re always packed into a rucksack and he finds them hidden under his bed. No firearms or heavy weapons, but everything else seems to be accounted for. All of these issues pale, however, in comparison to the greatest wrath in these places. He’s roommates with Teze. Teze, the apparent beast-man of the group. Shinobu is certain of one thing and it's that his sleep will be a lot lighter. Unfortunately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u sm for reading this installment of fallout of hope and thank u sm to my love @glitterprince for continuing to beta read for me :,)) ily
> 
> the work of transcribing this directly from a discord server with so much happening within the roleplay -- and most of it simultaneously in various channels -- has been a huge undertaking, but it's honestly just so nice to have something to do in these pandemicky times and to have such supportive/helpful/talented friends by my side so,, lots of love all around.
> 
> i am doing nanowrimo this january (a janowrimo if you will) for this project so it's very exciting to see so much of this being posted so quickly!
> 
> i hope you all continue to read and enjoy this story!!
> 
> xoxo aves

**Author's Note:**

> hello all! welcome to the beginning of fallout of hope!
> 
> this is the first in a trilogy (fallout of hope, shadow of despiar, and rise of tyranny) the last of which is just now beginning to be roleplayed and is now being adapted to novel format by me -- and hopefully the help of my friends when it gets to be too much lol.
> 
> we just felt like the stories we had created within the cracks of our busy schedules as internet friends from all over the world deserved to be shared, and now bring you the first of three novels here! it will be updated as i complete transcribing from the discord server, so for a while there might not be a set schedule of updates.
> 
> we hope you enjoy our hard work and complicated characters as much as we do! thank u sm for reading 
> 
> xoxo aves


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